Construction for storage of cars

ABSTRACT

Automatic automobile parking is enabled by a parking system including rotational conveyor belts with fingers to engage parking pallets and shift them from parking spaces or elevators, for multiple storage. With an elevator system, storage may be more than one story.

United States Patent 1 13 1 945 [72] Inventor Nils A. S. Gynne [50] Field of Search 214/] 6.14 Valevagen 55, 8-182, 64 Duursholm, E, 1614 16-14, 16-16 B Sweden 2 APP] 5 401 [56] References Cltetl [22] Filed Oct. 10, 1969 FOREIGN PATENTS Patented Nov. 2, 1971 l,396,499 3/1965 France 214/1 6.14 E

I 1 Priority Oct-16,1968 901,965 7/1962 Great Britain 214/16. 14 E [33] Sweden [31 1 [3929/68 Primary Exammer-Gera1d M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Lawrence J. Oresky Attorney-Auslander and Thomas [54] CONSTRUCTION FOR STORAGE 0F CARS ABSTRACT: Automatic automobile parking is enabled by a 17 claimssnrawing Figs parking system including rotational conveyor belts with fingets to engage parking pallets and shift them from parking [52 7 CL .214/16.lCli. spaces or elevators, for multiple storage. With an elevator [51] Int. Cl 865g 67/00 system, storage may be more than one story.

CONSTRUCTION FOR STORAGE OF CARS The present invention relates to a novel structure for the multistory storage of cars or containers, preferably used for the parking of cars. The structure is preferably in tower form having the advantage of being able to park a large number of cars or containers on each story of the tower.

The basic building structure may be open or closed with or without heat, and may be equipped with one or more elevators as part of a storage unit in a single structure.

It is preferable to haven elevator with room for a single car or container for parking a car at a selected story of the tower, though larger elevators may be employed big enough to park more than one car in the parking units on each story. The elevators themselves may be multileveled to coincide with more than one story level of the parking tower.

According to the present invention, each elevator shaft is arranged to preferably have four storage places or parking spaces on each story and have easy facility for the placement and retrieval of cars or containers on spaced pallets.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out may be further understood by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a single story parking unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a single story of a parking unit configuration of the present invention having six elevators.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a variant entrance exit configuration.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a parking pallet of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a section of FIG. 4 along lines 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a section of a story showing an elevator, parking pallet and pallet conveyor.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a variant single story of a parking unit configuration of the present invention having ten elevators.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of an entrance story of a l0- elevator parking unit configuration of the present invention in a building between two parallel streets.

Referring now to the figures in greater detail, where like reference numbers denote like parts in the various figures.

The basic parking story 10 construction as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a series of parking spaces 11 arranged about the sides of an elevator 12.

A car 13 or container is driven or placed on a pallet 14 such as shown in FIG. 4. The pallet 14 has tracks 15, 16 to guide the wheels of a car 13. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the wheel stop 18 is a depression in the track 16 of a selected length to accept a selection of different size cars 13.

For safety and convenience, a depression 19 is provided in the track within which the wheel stop 17 may be adjusted to accommodate the wheel of a selected car 13.

The stop 17 has a first flange 20 and a second flange 21 extended from the wheel indentation 22. The total length of the stop 17 and the flanges 20, 21 with the indentation 22 is such that the flange 17 may be moved forward or back in the depression 19 while always being supported by the surface of the track 15.

A detent 23 may also be provided on the wheel stop 17 which may act as a safety stop to keep the wheel stop 17 from sliding when the weight of the wheelof a car 13 is engaged in the indentation 22. The detent 23 may be engageable in a notch 24 in the track 15 to form a positive lock under the weight of car 13. Mechanical means not shown may be associated with the mechanism of the elevator 12 to preposition the wheel stop 17 for the size of the car 13 placed on the pallet 14. A series of notches 24 (not shown) may be provided for known car sizes.

The elevator 12 and parking spaces 11 are each provided with a series of aligned bearings 25. These bearings 25 also coincide with pairs of parallel grooves 26, 27 on the underside of the pallet 14. Thus, a pallet 14 may ride from an aligned elevator 12 to a selected parking space 11 on the bearings 25 along the appropriate set of grooves 26, 27.

Each elevator 12 is provided with a lateral conveyor 28 and a pair of longitudinal conveyors 29.

Each pallet 14 is provided with a pair of cavities 30, 31 along opposite sides of the longitudinal edges of the pallet 14. Each cavity 30, 31 has a grasp bar 32, 33 across the cavity at the bottom edge portion. The pallet 14 is also provided with a pair of cavities 34, 35, centrally located at the ends. These cavities have end grasp bars 36, 37 similar to the side grasp bars 32, 33. There are also additional cavities 38, 39 aligned with the end cavities 34, 35, each having a grasp bar 40, 41 centrally located across the middle of the cavities 38, 39. These cavities 30, 31, 34, 35, 38, 39 function with the conveyors 28, 29.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the conveyor 28 has an endless belt 42 and two pairs of fingers 43, 44, 45, 46. The first pair of fingers 43, 44, when at the edge of the elevator 12, spread in a Y" configuration with the fingers 43,. 44 reaching the edges of the elevator 12. The endless belt 42 at the same time, holds the second pair of fingers 45, 46 at the opposite edge of the elevator 12 in the same configuration.

Adjacent the ends of the conveyor 28 in the parking space 11 are cavities 47, 48 which face the finger pairs 43, 44, 45 46 when they are at the elevator 12 edge. The fingers 43, 44, 45, 46 are spring biased outward of the endless belt 42, pivotable inward and braced against backward movement from their normal spring biased position. The longitudinal conveyors 28 have the same configurations of fingers and belts with their outer fingers facing the cavities 49, 50 of their respective parking spaces ll.

In operation pallets 14, with or without cars 13 or other loads, may be shifted to and from any adjacent parking space 11 when the elevator 12 is even with the particular selected parking story 10. Depending upon which parking space 11 is concerned, the lateral or longitudinal conveyors 28, 29 are selectively operated. The only difference between the operation of the longitudinal movement of the pallet 14 is that the grab bars 40,41 in the additional cavities 38, 39 are used for conveying in longitudinal movement.

In lateral conveyance, as shown in FIG. 6, the leftward rotation of the endless belt 42, rotating over the rollers 51, brings the finger 44 into the cavity 47. When a pallet 14 is 'in the parking space 11, the finger 44 engages the grab bar 32, slid ing the pallet 14 along the bearing 25 :in the grooves 27 and pulling the pallet 14 onto the elevator 12. As the pallet 14 is fully upon the elevator 12, the finger 46 springs upward and over the grab bar 33 in the cavity 31. With the belt 42 stopped, the pallet is held firm against movement in any direction.

Shifting the pallet 14 to the opposite parking space 11, the belt 42 is continued in the same direction of movement. The finger 45 moves the grab bar 32 until, by the curvature of the finger and the rotation of the belt 42 about the roller 52, swings the finger 45 clear of the grab bar 32. The finger 43 depressed itself under the pallet 14 as the finger 44 moves upward to engage the grab bar 33 and the pallet 14 is thus moved to the selected parking space 11 where a conventional stop mechanism (not shown) locks the pallet 14 safely onto the parking space 11.

Longitudinal movement by the conveyors 29 works upon the same principle.

Where two or more cars 13 are placed on an elevator 12 level, holding more than one pallet 14, the entrance and exit configuration of the parking story 10 must be perpendicularly arranged in two different directions, as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, a parking tower 53 with six elevators, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 have their elevators serving adjacent parking spaces. Elevator 54 services parking spaces 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d. Elevator 55, which in effect is a contiguous parking tower 10, services parking spaces lle, 11f, 11g, 11):. The remaining elevators 56, 57, 58, 59 service their respective parking spaces 11 in the same fashion It is, of course, understood that a plurality of parallel lateral and longitudinal conveyors 28, 29, independently operable, can be suitable arranged on elevators 12 of the present invention within the configurations of the various parking stories.

In FIG. 7 a parking configuration is shown having 10 elevators 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69. In FIG. 7, deviation from the strict four-square parking space configuration is shown. Spaces x are extra parking spaces for storage, for parking and/or for filling in a regular configuration for the master parking tower. The x parking spaces can be served by elevators 63, 67, 69. It should be noted that elevators 60, 65, 68, 69 only serve three regular parking spaces on each story.

In the case of a breakdown of any of the elevators, the pallets l4 may be moved by hand from he various parking spaces in the configuration of FIG. 7.

Of course the accessibility of the parking spaces x is only by virtue of utilization of parking spaces lli and 11k, to move the pallet 14.

In FIG. 8, a parking configuration of the present invention shown in a building 70, having 10 elevators 12 and a large number of parking spaces 11. In FIG. 8, the entry level the building 70 is shown, such building including the parking configuration of the present invention, might be a hotel, department store or office building between two parallel streets, where the entry may be on the street level or below ground level, since only a limited space is necessary between the stories of the parking configuration of the present invention. Entrance ramps 71, 72 may pass inside the building 70 or parallel and continue through to exit ramps 73, 74. It is preferable that there be at least three rows I, II, III, of parking spaces 11, including at least one elevator 12 from the entry points 75, 76 along the ramps 71, 73, 72, 74. The parking spaces 11 and elevators 12 all having bearings as well as the entry point 75, 76, having bearings 25. Adjacent the entry points 75, 76 are vertical shafts 77, 78 for the upward and downward feeding of pallets 14, in a reserve, for the placement of cars 13.

Thus, a car 13 entering the building 70 at the entry point 75, would be driven onto a pallet 14 from the reserve stack 77. From that point via the lateral and longitudinal conveyors on the parking spaces 11 and the elevators 12, a pallet 14 may be shifted to any point on the entry story, or to any elevator for removal to an appropriate parking space 1 1.

As can be seen in FIG. 8, the lateral conveyors 28 in line II could shift a pallet 14 from entry point 75 to entry point 76 or place such pallet 14 on the elevator 12 in line II. The longitudinal conveyors 29 in line I or line Ill could take a pallet 14 and park it on a space 11 or draw it onto an elevator 12 for removal to another story. The conveyors 28, 29 on the parking spaces 11 and elevators 12, as shown in FIG. 8, are adapted for rapid accessibility of cars 13 on pallets 14 during peak hours of entrance and exit.

Of course, the parking spaces 11 and elevators 12, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8, must be contiguous, although there is no contiguity between the elevators and the parking spaces x in FIG. 7. The parking spaces x in FIG. 7 are auxiliary to the present system, though spaces are provided with means to move the pallets 14 onto them, such as the bearings 25.

Known means may be used to control the lateral and longitudinal rotary conveyors 28, 29, to be moved to and fro for the selected finger of the conveyor to engage the appropriate grab bar of the pallet 14.

A reversing of the bearings 25 to place them on the pallet (not shown) and replacement of the grooves 26 and 27 on the parking spaces 11, would in effect provide the same sliding of the pallet 14 with relation to the parking spaces 11.

The fingers 43, 44, as well as the fingers 45, 46, are in effect, apposed to each other in their outcurving "Y configuration. The .Y" configuration of course does not subsist when the fingers 43, 44, 45, 46 are rotated away from their end positions on the conveyors 28, 29, as the endless belt 42 rotates about the rollers 51, 52.

The terms and expressions which are employed are used as terms of description; it is recognized, though, that various modifications are possible.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

1. A parking system comprising, at least a first parking space, a second parking space, a parking pallet, said at least two parking spaces contiguous of each other, rotary conveyor means on at least one of said two parking spaces, said parking pallet adapted to be slid by said rotary conveyor to and fro between said at least two parking spaces, said parking pallet having at least two cavities on opposite sides of said pallet, said at least two cavities having grasp means near said pallet extremity, said rotary conveyor having a first pair of affixed fingers apposed to each other extending from said rotary conveyor, a second pair of affixed fingers apposed to each other extending from said rotary conveyor, said first and second pairs of affixed fingers normally at opposite ends of said rotary conveyor, means to control movement of said rotary conveyor to and fro each said affixed finger flexible toward said rotary conveyor and adapted to pass in between said pallet and said rotary conveyor, each said finger further adapted to interact with said pallet cavity grasp means, each said contiguous parking space having at least one cavity adjacent each other and said'rotary conveyor, and said rotary conveyor fingers free to pass through said adjacent parking space cavities without interference, said fingers further adapted to pass free of said grasp means upon transfer of a grasped pallet to an adjacent space.

2. The invention of claim 1 including an elevator, said elevator including at least one said rotary conveyor and at least one said parking space contiguous of said elevator on another story.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said rotary conveyor is lateral in said parking space.

4. The invention of claim I wherein said rotary conveyor is longitudinal in said parking space.

5. The invention of .claim 1 wherein at least one parking space includes at least one lateral conveyor and at least one longitudinal conveyor.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said parking space including said conveyors is an elevator, and at least one said parking space contiguous of said elevator on another story.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein at least one parking space includes one conveyor across one length of said space and at least one conveyor at each other length extremity.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein said parking pallet includes a plurality of cavities adapted to interact with each said conveyor.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein said parking space including said conveyors is an elevator and at least one said parking space contiguous of said elevator on another story.

10. The invention of claim 1 wherein said sliding means between said parking spaces and said pallet include interacting bearings and grooves 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said grooves are underneath said pallet.

12. The invention of claim 10 wherein said pallet includes tracks adapted to receive a car.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein at least one of said tracks includes car wheel stop means.

14. The invention of claim 13 wherein said wheel stop means is adjustable.

15. The invention of claim 8 including a parking space adjacent each side of said elevator on each story.

16. The invention of claim 2 wherein said affixed fingers are engageable to lock said pallet to said elevator.

17. The invention of claim 1 including means on at least one said parking space adapted to hold said pallet against sliding. 

1. A parking system comprising, at least a first parking space, a second parking space, a parking pallet, said at least two parking spaces contiguous of each other, rotary conveyor means on at least one of said two parking spaces, said parking pallet adapted to be slid by said rotary conveyor to and fro between said at least two parking spaces, said parking pallet having at least two cavities on opposite sides of said pallet, said at least two cavities having grasp means near said pallet extremity, said rotary conveyor having a first pair of affixed fingers apposed to each other extending from said rotary conveyor, a second pair of affixed fingers apposed to each other extending from said rotary conveyor, said first and second pairs of affixed fingers normally at opposite ends of said rotary conveyor, means to control movement of said rotary conveyor to and fro each said affixed finger flexible toward said rotary conveyor and adapted to pass in between said pallet and said rotary conveyor, each said finger further adapted to interact with said pallet cavity grasp means, each said contiguous parking space having at least one cavity adjacent each other and said rotary conveyor, and said rotary conveyor fingers free to pass through said adjacent parking space cavities without interference, said fingers further adapted to pass free of said grasp means upon transfer of a grasped pallet to an adjacent space.
 2. The invention of claim 1 including an elevator, said elevator including at least one said rotary conveyor and at least one said parking space contiguous of said elevator on another story.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said rotary conveyor is lateral in said parking space.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said rotary conveyor is longitudinal in said parking space.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein at least one parking space includes at least one lateral conveyor and at least one longitudinal conveyor.
 6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said parking space including said conveyors is an elevator, and at least one said parking space contiguous of said elevator on another story.
 7. The invention of claim 1 wherein at least one parking space includes one conveyor across one length of said space and at least one conveyor at each other length extremity.
 8. The invention of claim 7 wherein said parking pallet includes a plurality of cavities adapted to interact with each said conveyor.
 9. The invention of claim 8 wherein said parking space including said conveyors is an Elevator and at least one said parking space contiguous of said elevator on another story.
 10. The invention of claim 1 wherein said sliding means between said parking spaces and said pallet include interacting bearings and grooves
 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said grooves are underneath said pallet.
 12. The invention of claim 10 wherein said pallet includes tracks adapted to receive a car.
 13. The invention of claim 12 wherein at least one of said tracks includes car wheel stop means.
 14. The invention of claim 13 wherein said wheel stop means is adjustable.
 15. The invention of claim 8 including a parking space adjacent each side of said elevator on each story.
 16. The invention of claim 2 wherein said affixed fingers are engageable to lock said pallet to said elevator.
 17. The invention of claim 1 including means on at least one said parking space adapted to hold said pallet against sliding. 